Right back at you
NYCFC’s White adjusts to shift to old position
If Ethan White is starting to look like a natural at right back for New York City FC, consider it a long time coming.
“It was kind of like waking up to an old habit,” White told The Post before NYCFC (16 points) travels to face FC Dallas on Sunday night.
That is because White grew up playing defensive midfield and out on the right side. When he was at the University of Maryland, he was shifted inside after the Terrapins lost Omar Gonzalez and A.J. DeLaGarza to MLS. His position change followed him to MLS, where he stuck inside with D.C. United, then to the Philadelphia Union, and even with NYCFC last year.
All told, it has been six years since White, 26, has played exclusively on the outside.
“I will say [after] the first game, I was pretty tired,” White said with a laugh. “But now, I’ve gotten used to it. Over time, I’ll get more comfortable.”
White said he had to adjust to reverting to his old ways on the right side, like supporting the attack with overlapping runs when moving forward. He explained the difference of how now he is expected to do 70-yard sprints at a time compared to 15-yard emergency dashes when he defended centrally, which has caused him to really focus more on his agility in training.
His performance on the wing has made RJ Allen, NYCFC’s primary right back last year, seem like an afterthought. Allen started 19 games at the position last season, and after getting the nod in the season-opening loss against Orlando City, Allen hasn’t seen the field but for a one-minute cameo against Columbus on April 29.
In NYCFC’s 3-1 win against Atlanta United last week, White really showed how far his transition at right back has come, especially on offense when he picked up his first assist of the season. He overlapped winger Jack Harrison on the far side of the field, meeting the fleeting pass near the edge of the box before slipping his cross in front of the goalmouth to Rodney Wallace for the goal.
He credits his adjustment to watching how wingback Ronald Matarrita moves and times his runs forward, and the coaching staff, especially how hands-on NYCFC head coach Patrick Vieira is in training.
“[Vieira] will reward you for doing what he says, and he’ll tell you when you’re not,” White said. “He’ll tell you right then that you need to make an adjustment. I’ve taken that into account and learned. I have [Vieira’s] voice in my head telling me when I need to do certain things.”
Match Day 11 marks the start of a brutal month stretch for MLS teams, especially for NYCFC.
Sunday’s match against FC Dallas (18 points) is the first of a four-game away stretch, with three games coming in the next week. The same stretch last season caused NYCFC fits, grabbing just five points in five games, but Vieira learned his lesson. With NYCFC’s depth, he will bring 20 players to Dallas and rotate players for the upcoming matches.
“I will have to be really smart with the way I rotate players,” Vieira said. “At the same time, I need to keep the strength and the core of the team because it wouldn’t make sense if I change seven, eight players.”
He also said NYCFC could play long more, instead of playing solely from the back, as they showed in their 3-1 win against Atlanta United last week.